In Our Families' Footsteps
by readintherain
Summary: Emily (daughter of Frazel), Marion (Percabeth), and George (Tratie) must go on a quest to defeat the god Orcus who is striving to rise. ***On Hiatus***
1. Chapter the First

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction for the world of Percy Jackson, tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: The world and characters from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and/or Heroes of Olympus belong to Rick Riordan.**

"Name, cohort, status, and legacy," the praetorian prefect commanded. Another four years had passed and it once again time for Camp Jupiter to take a census of anyone who lived in New Rome.

"Emily Bianca Zhang, the Fifth Cohort, Veterinarius in training, daughter of Frank Zhang, first generation son of Mars, and Hazel Levesque, first generation daughter of Pluto," I responded but the prefect continued to stare at me. Had I done it in the wrong order? Had I messed up my own name? Maybe- oh. "Sir," I added, face burning. He nodded and I ducked out of line, face burning.

"Emily!" someone called, and I looked up to see Marion, her arms waving wildly as she attempted to get my attention. I hurried over to her. "Are you done?"

"Yeah. But it was SO embarrassing." I flopped onto the grass.

"Really? What'd you do? You didn't eat that green pasta stuff again did you? Remember last time, when you puked on the centurion, and he-"

I cut her off, not wanting to listen to the 'All the Times Emily has Epically Embarrassed Herself,' highlight reel. "No, I just forgot to call him sir."

"Oh." She settled herself next to me. "That's it? There's almost nothing they could cite you for, if that's all that happened. Except of course, if you did it purpose, which you obviously didn't. Anyone within sight of your red visage could tell that."

"I know, it's just that, since my dad was praetor and all, I just feel like I should be good at that stuff," I explained.

"C'mon, Em, you can't expect to be perfect all the time. Everyone messes up sometimes, and besides-" Unfortunately, Marion's pep talk was cut off by some random guy.

"Hey Marion!"

"Hey… Jake?" She shot me a look that clearly said 'What the Hades does this guy want?' I shrugged. In all honesty, though, it was kind of obvious. With her wavy blonde hair and bright green eyes, Marion attracted the attention of guys so effortlessly there was a joke that she was secretly a daughter of Venus. She personally found it annoying and delighted in kicking their butts in Camp Jupiter war games. It was actually pretty funny, though, watching the newbies who didn't know her all that well get veritably crushed by the 'pretty blonde girl.' I on the other hand didn't have those problems. I looked mostly like my mom, but my dad's side gave me slightly Asian features. Marion said I looked "exotically beautiful," but I'm just going to take that with a grain of salt. After all, this is the girl who told a mountain god he looked "ruggedly handsome" and he was literally just a pile of rocks with eyes.

A sharp elbow to my side brought me out of my musings. "Ow!" I hissed to Marion, rubbing my side.

"I was just telling, umm Jake, here that I couldn't go to the summer dance with him."

"Oh, yeah. We're going to be at CHB then. Sorry, John."

"Jake," he corrected me.

"Riiight. My bad." I waved goodbye and he despondently walked off. I felt a little guilty, but that feeling was soon wiped away as I watched him start hitting on a Legacy of Venus.

"Are we really going to Camp H in a few weeks?" Marion asked me excitedly, already having moved on from that little encounter.

I nodded, then laughed as her face grew even more animated. "You wouldn't be this delighted for a reason, would you? It's totally not because of a specific person, right?" I teased.

"Maybe," was her response, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks.

"And you know," I add. "We'll be there just in time for the fireworks. Maybe someone will ask you."

"Do you really believe Samuel would?"

"He'd be an idiot not to," I promised her.

"Who'd be an idiot?" someone asked, sitting next to me. It was George Stoll, another of my closest friends.

"Sam, if he didn't ask Marion to the fireworks," I explained.

He nodded. "A complete moron. You know, I've been thinking about asking someone myself."

"Anyone in particular?" Marion asked, immediately switching to matchmaker mode. She'd been on a mission to hook up George and I for a few months now (I'm seriously considering that Aphrodite/Venus blessed her on the sly) despite both of our protests.

"Silena," was his answer. We both stared at him. Silena Rodriguez had all of her mother's violence and not many of her namesake's social graces. There was an awkward silence until George burst out laughing. "You guys should have seen your faces! You both looked so shocked, you-" He broke into another fit of laughter.

I playfully punched him in the arm. "We just worried for you, 'cause she would have totally beat you to pulp."

"I think I could take her." Marion and I surveyed his beanpole frame doubtfully. "And who can resist the Stoll charm?" He attempted to flip his dark brown hair and failed miserably which caused us to snicker.

"Sorry, George old boy, but I think the Stoll charm might have skipped a generation," Marion joked. He smiled but it seemed forced. George had taken after his mother much more than his father which is why he was closer to the Ceres campers instead of those descended from Mercury. He didn't talk much about it, but it was obvious that he wished his dad would pay him more attention. It wasn't that Mr. Stoll, Travis to my parents, didn't love George, it was more that he could relate better to Wendy, their prank-loving daughter.

I changed the subject. "So, I hear there's going to be a game of Siege tomorrow?"

"Yes!" Marion exclaimed, pumping her fist. "Cohort Five going to rock this!" She and I high-fived. "Sorry that we didn't get on the same team, George. Maybe next time."

He shrugged. "It's fine. Besides this will give the Thorn a chance to shine!" He struck a dramatic superhero pose, which was a bit difficult considering he was on the ground.

"Thorn? Like Thor, Thorin, what?" I asked

"Both, both is good. Plus you know, the whole plants thing, which was more what I was thinking." Just then the horn went off, signaling dinner time. "Food!" George exclaimed, scrambling to his feet and helping me up

"Finally, I haven't eaten since lunch!" Marion added, standing on her own. Together we began walking toward Camp Jupiter's dining hall.


	2. Chapter the Second

**Five Days Later**

"Please buckle your seatbelts and place your trays and seats in the upright position," a voice over the speakers called. "We are ready to begin our descent. I hope you enjoyed your flight with McLean Air."

"Okay, Mommy!" one of the little Grace children called and there was scattered laughter along the plane. About one hundred and fifty past campers and their families had all crammed into one of Mr. McLean's large airplanes for our annual trip to CHB. Mr. Grace was flying, so we didn't get struck down by his dad or something which was perfectly okay with me. Not getting struck down sounded great.

The plane touched down smoothly on the tarmac and soon we were all in rental cars, headed to our final destination. Honestly, I was very excited for this trip. Not that I didn't love Camp Jupiter, but there was something almost freeing about going to Camp Half Blood. There weren't as many rules, and it just seemed more laid back. Plus, I couldn't wait to see my friends from there.

As we drove down the road toward "Delphi Strawberry Service," I grew more and more excited, until I was literally bouncing in my seat.

"I think somebody's excited," my mom said to my dad before smiling at me.

My dad opened his mouth to reply but all that came out was, "Leo."

"What?" we both asked him before seeing the sign ourselves. Strung across the archway to Camp Half Blood was a giant banner proclaiming, "Welcome Peeps from Camp J!" It was completely covered in flashing lights, pinwheels, and sparklers. Definitely Mr. Valdez.

"Remember the scroll he sent us, way back when we'd just met Percy?" Mom asked.

"Yes, and I really don't think he's matured that much," my dad replied, feigning seriousness. She playfully slapped him and they both began laughing. Most parents probably wouldn't tell their children war stories, but my mom and dad wanted me to know how dangerous the life of a demigod can be. It might have also been partly because I used to incessantly beg them to tell me. Sorry, Mom and Dad! Anyway, apparently Mr. Valdez used to like my mom (Slightly disturbing) and my dad and he had some tension between them because of it? You wouldn't be able to tell now, of course, because although they did poke fun at each other, they were really good friends. To be perfectly honest, I'm really glad my mom chose my dad because although I love Mr. Valdez, he'd be a pretty wild father. Not necessarily a bad one, just kind of crazy.

We piled out of the car and started dragging our respective suitcases toward the flashing sign. Most of the families had already arrived judging by the cars, except for the Graces who needed to take care of the plane. We were staying in the Hades cabin, so we headed there. Looking out toward the Sound, I could see campers hanging out and playing volleyball. I was itching to go run around and find my friends but of course we had to unpack first. Sigh. Those whose parents had larger or less populated cabins were just staying there, namely the Jacksons, the Graces, and anyone descended from Hephaestus, as the underground tunnels of Bunker Nine were quite extensive. None of us particularly wanted to stay in Hades, but the Big House and Ares cabin were full enough as they were. Plus, the idea of staying with the weapons-happy campers from my dad's side didn't exactly fill me with excitement either.

Calling greetings to everyone we passed, Dad, Mom, and I finally made it to our home for the next couple of weeks. Mom says it had been redecorated (apparently they used to have to sleep in coffins, Claustrophobia, much?) but it was still a bit foreboding with its lack of windows, black paint, and glowing green skulls. We opened the door and turned on the lights. I immediately started sneezing. "I guess nobody's been here since last year," I commented, trying to wave away the dust.

"Sorry, I meant to clean it," someone behind us said.

"Neeks!" my mom exclaimed while my dad and I yelped with surprise. Whirling around, I found my Uncle Nico leaning casually against the doorframe as though he'd been there all along, which I'd swear he hadn't. He looked almost exactly as he had a few months ago when I'd last seen him, worn leather jacket and black hair hanging in his eyes. Smiling awkwardly, he walked up to us. My mom hugged him tightly.

"How is your mission going? You have to visit more often," she told him.

"Okay," was the only response. He patted my mom on the back stiffly and after a few minutes she released him.

"Hey, Uncle Nico," I said coming over to him.

"Hello, Emily." There was a slight pause before he looked to my dad. "Frank, there's something I'd like to discuss with you and Hazel."

My mom turned to me. "Why don't you go outside and have fun with your friends, Em?" she suggested.

I really wanted to know what Uncle Nico was going to tell them but the Hades cabin was really dark and I could hear people outside, so I nodded. In the cabin circle, people were milling around and chatting, purple shirts mixing with orange as those of us from Camp Jupiter caught up with old friends. I saw Marion and George talking to a Hispanic guy with curly hair so I headed over there.

"Hey Samuel!" I called.

"EB!" He gave me one of those weird back-slapping hug things that guys do. "How have you been my shape-shifting sister?"

"Pretty good. How have you been, O Master of Flames?"

He laughed. "Fantastic. O Master of Flames, huh? Wonder if I could get that on a t-shirt…" I smiled which was hard not to do with Sam around. He snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "I almost forgot. We're going into town on the fifth to my parents' shop if you'd like."

"Oh, sure!" Mr. and Mrs. Valdez, Leo and Calypso to my parents, had bought a machine shop/restaurant in New York several years ago. That's mainly why Samuel went to Camp Half Blood instead of Camp Jupiter like the rest of us. "That's what, in four days?"

"That is correct Eggland's Best."

"Eggland's Best?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.

"That was pretty bad, Fire Mage," Marion added. I'm not exactly sure how the nickname thing got started, but it was sort of a tradition now.

"You know, EB?" We all stared at him. "Yeah, it was pretty bad," he finally conceded.

"Kinda was, Charmandar," George told him grinning.

"Charmandar, huh? I should get that on a t-shirt too!" We chatted for a while before I noticed that the sun was getting low.

"Hey, guys, I never really unpacked so I guess I should go do that now, sorry!" I wandered back to the Hades cabin but when I got there the door was still closed. Were my parents and uncle still talking? I tried to listen without looking too suspicious as the cabin circle still had a lot of people in it. I could faintly hear Uncle Nico speaking.

"Orc…rising….legion," was all I could really make out. What did that even mean? Were we in Middle Earth? Or could he be talking about something much more serious? I decided to find out. I knocked on the door and immediately the talking stopped.

"Emily?" I heard my dad ask and I took it as an invitation to open the door. They were all seated on the floor, my mom leaning against my dad and Uncle Nico facing them.

"So what were you guys discussing?" I asked trying to sound casual. Usually my parents were fairly open and would tell me if there was something going on.

"Just my last mission," my uncle replied, which I guess answered my question but wasn't really the answer I wanted.

"What happened on your mission?" I looked at them hoping they'd answer but everyone seemed to ignore me. My parents made excuses about going to say hello to old friends and Uncle Nico just disappeared into a swirl of shadow, leaving me alone and wondering what the Hades was going on.


End file.
